Efficacy of Aceclofenac and Ibuprofen in Controlling Pain and Swelling Following Periodontal Surgery: A Prospective Interventional Study

Introduction: Postoperative pain and swelling are common sequelae of major periodontal surgery, including mucogingival surgeries and flap surgeries. In the first 24 hours after the procedure, pain is typically at its highest. Non Steroidal AntiInflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) have emerged as a mainstream and effective option for alleviating pain and swelling. Aim: To compare and evaluate the effectiveness of two medications, aceclofenac and ibuprofen, in the management of pain and swelling after periodontal surgery. Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted in the outpatient Department of Periodontology of Vidarbha Youth Welfare Society (VYWS) Dental College, Amravati, Maharashtra, India. A total of 76 patients undergoing periodontal surgery were enrolled. They were randomly divided into two groups: Group-A received 400 mg ibuprofen and Group-B received 100 mg aceclofenac tablets. Pain intensity was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and postoperative swelling was evaluated using the Tissue Oedema Index (TEI) on days 3 and 8 postsurgery. Data analysis was performed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for intragroup comparisons and the Mann–Whitney U test for intergroup comparisons. Results: Pain intensity decreased significantly with the ingestion of both drugs. On day 3, pain intensity was 5.00±1.73, decreasing to 0.80±1.79 on day 8 for Group-A (p-value=0.034). For Group-B, pain intensity on day 3 was 4.60±0.55, decreasing to 0.40±0.89 on day 8 (p-value=0.041). The outcome for patients treated with 400 mg ibuprofen was not significantly different from that of patients treated with 100 mg aceclofenac (p>0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that both ibuprofen and aceclofenac can be used effectively for pain control after periodontal surgery.